The 108 Skills of Natural Born Leaders (Amacom 2001)

It is never too late to become what you want to be. This book is about becoming a more skillful leader. It''s designed to provide you with the tools to be what people label a "natural born leader." The need for leaders has always been important, and it has never been more urgent. The constant, accelerating, unpredictable change in today''s competitive environment demands more and better leadership. People at all organizational levels and in all sectors want to be inspired. They want direction through the chaos created by uncertainty. People want to commit to important results that serve themselves and others. These needs define the locus of leadership. Those perceived to be "born leaders" fulfill these needs. Such natural born leaders offer courses of action through uncertain waters and create commitment toward destinations that make a difference. The traditional view holds that natural born leaders are rare commodities. I call this the "right stuff" myth. It implies that only a few people own the abilities and have the necessary ingredients, the elusive "right stuff," to be leaders. If this is true, then we might as well pack it in and stop wasting all the time, money, and effort spent to improve leadership. We should simply acknowledge that most people just do not have these special ingredients. We should direct people to keep their heads down, hope that a few "real leaders" will come along, and muddle our way through.

The 108 Skills of Natural Born Leaders

Warren Blank

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered It is sold with the under-standing that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

1 Leadership—Case studies I Title: One hundred eight skills of natural born

leaders II Title

HD57.7 B567 2001

658.4'092— dc21 00-065046

© 2001 Warren Blank

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America.

This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

Printing number

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many people helped me formulate the ideas in this book I am particularly grateful to all the thousands of participants in my leadership training courses who have shown me positive models of leadership excellence and helped me clarify the skills of natural born leaders

Adrienne Hickey, AMACOM executive editor, provided positive support throughout the project Christina McLaughlin and the rest of the AMACOM staff made important contributions to improve the manuscript Joe Mangino, Bill Hinkle, and Beverly Hanger offered several useful suggestions on early drafts I owe an extra special thanks to Aaron Brown for the many insights he generously offered

My mother, Helen Blank, served as a model of dedication to always do the best in life My teacher and friend, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, helped remind me that the real source of leadership lies within

And, more than anyone else, my wife, Mary Ann, clarified my thinking and expanded my heart during every stage of this project

be leaders If this is true, then we might as well pack it in and stop wasting all the time, money, and effort spent

to improve leadership We should simply acknowledge that most people just do not have these special

ingredients We should direct people to keep their heads down, hope that a few "real leaders" will come along, and muddle our way through

I propose an alternate view: Anyone can be a leader My experience working with hundreds of organizations and with thousands of executives, managers, supervisors, and employee groups indicates that a set of specific skills define what people commonly label as a natural born leader This book identifies these skills The book provides an individual assessment for people to measure their current level of competence The book suggests ways to practice skill development To the extent that individuals achieve greater mastery, they will be more effective leaders and earn the designation "natural born leaders."

My perspective changes the landscape for leadership development It overcomes the limiting and, I believe, inaccurate mind-set that only a few have the right stuff to be leaders Those who choose to step up to the leader role can take responsibility to develop their leadership ability This book provides a leader success template It offers a basis for meaningful leader action and a way to continually enhance leadership effectiveness

The skill development choices provided in this book offer organizations a more potent method to develop leadership capacity Many organizations suffer from what I call the "faulty plumbing and wiring leadership limit." That is, their organizational culture restricts leaders and leadership development The deep fabric of organizational life, its internal plumbing and wiring, fails to provide sufficient rewards for leadership initiative

or, worse, outright punishes those who take the risk of leader initiative in either formal or informal ways Warren Bennis, the well-known leadership and organizational expert, first articulated this notion by suggesting

an "unconscious conspiracy" in which organizations create hidden obstacles that make it extremely difficult to lead

This book provides organizations with a performance development process that can be institutionalized to enhance leadership development and effectiveness The formalization of this process results in rewiring and refitting the hidden forces that now limit leadership The formalization process gives everyone a chance to fulfill their natural ability to lead, make a difference, and contribute to organizational success

The Journey

Helen Keller once said, "There is no royal road to the summit, each person must zigzag their own way." The journey toward developing your natural born leader skills begins by understanding the natural born leader phenomenon Chapter 1 describes this phenomenon and outlines the skills associated with being a natural born leader Three broad natural born leader skill categories are described: foundational leadership skills, leadership direction skills, and leadership influence skills

Chapter 2 takes you on the next step along the leadership development journey It provides a natural born leader skill assessment The assessment provides feedback on how you match up to the portrait of a natural born leader It measures your strengths and areas that need improvement

The next stage of the journey involves selecting the skills you want to work on in each broad category and then committing to skill development The goal is to try to improve each day in measurable ways and perform a little better tomorrow than you did today

The next three chapters describe the foundational natural born leader skills These skills form the footing upon which you stand to be seen as a natural born leader These skills are prerequisites for leadership effectiveness Three pillars make up the foundational skills Chapter 3 describes the self-awareness skills that define who you are as a leader Chapter 4 defines the skills that leaders use to build rapport Chapter 5 explains how leaders clarify expectations

Chapters 6, 7, and 8 describe the natural born leader direction skills Leaders identify issues, concerns, and opportunities that require leadership action Chapter 6 specifically defines the skills leaders use to "map the territory" to recognize those needs Leaders translate their mapping results into a course of action Chapter 7 outlines the skills that leaders apply to chart a course of leadership direction Leaders multiply themselves by cultivating leadership in others Chapter 8 describes the skills leaders deploy to develop others as leaders

Leaders gain willing followers, which requires their application of influence skills Leaders establish their capacity to influence by building a base to gain commitment Chapter 9 details the skills leaders use to build their base so that others will support them when they offer a leadership direction Leaders use specific skills to influence people Chapter 10 tells you how leaders apply these skills to gain willing followers Chapter 11 describes the skills leaders use to establish an environment that fosters a willingness to follow Leaders live within a larger organizational context They create a motivating environment to support their leadership efforts

Beginning Your Journey

You do not have to master every skill or develop them all at once Many people who are labeled as "natural born leaders" have mastered only some of the skills Perhaps no single person who achieves "natural born leader" status gains complete mastery of all the skills Select a starting place that works for you after you take the assessment in Chapter 2 You will be attributed natural born leader status when you demonstrate your ability in even a subset of the skills As you work on your skills, you will enlarge and enrich your leadership capacity, become more confident, and gain more consistent recognition as a "natural born leader."

"There are no secrets to success," commented General Colin L Powell "It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure." The 108 skills of natural born leaders are not secrets, either Leaders throughout history have demonstrated their ability to apply these skills, though some of the skills are newer Deeper insights into how people, groups, and organizational dynamics operate have transformed our understanding of how leaders direct people, guide organizations, and influence followers

Whether the skills are ancient or current, you can increase your success as one called a "natural born leader" by knowing

your current skill competency level, working hard, and continually using your experience to take you to the next level Luck is the place where preparation and opportunity meet Skills come from learning, practice, and mastery

Good luck and good skills!

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The Natural Born Leader Phenomenon

She's just a natural born leader

He was born to lead

Some people are always leaders; they were just born that way.

Have you heard people make such comments? Have you made such statements yourself? A select group of people seem to have that ''certain something" that elevates them above the pack and enables them to be what

we call "natural born leaders." Such unique individuals emerge in every situation in which they find

themselves Many distinguish themselves at an early age Perhaps you have noticed a child at the playground who "naturally" organizes the lunch break games or rallies the neighborhood kids for a summertime project Such children have no formal leadership training, but they step up to lead the other kids You may have

witnessed a teen, a young adult, or a person just starting a professional career who "innately" knew what to do and stepped up when no one else seemed willing or able to lead And you probably have observed people in your career at all organizational levels who have "naturally" moved a group, division, or company forward despite the challenge or difficulty

Natural born leaders are said to exist in all fields Consider

some individuals perceived as born to lead in industry: Jack Welch of General Electric Company (GE), Andy Grove of Intel Corp., John Chambers of Cisco Systems, Sam Walton of Wal-Mart, Mary Kay Ash of Mary Kay Inc., Warren E Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway, Akio Morita of Sony Corporation, and the father of mass production, Henry Ford Think of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, or

Margaret Thatcher, all appraised as natural born leaders in the political arena The natural born leader label also goes to military men such as H Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell of Desert Storm and George Patton and British field marshal Bernard Law Montgomery during World War II

The natural born leader notion is hard to discount When people demonstrate dramatic initiative, when they easily figure out what needs to be done, and when they effectively influence others, we assume they are "born

to lead."

At some level, we want to believe in natural born leaders The notion fulfills our romantic need for heroes We

desire larger-than-life characters to inspire us We want to know there are some people who can bear any burden, overcome any obstacle, win any fight, and succeed in any situation The idea that such people exist offers a sense of security, provides a degree of hope, and sets a model for us to honor and strive for In our quiet, inward moments, we all know our limitations We take comfort in the notion that somewhere out there, natural born leaders exist who can guide us beyond our limitations

The Natural Born Leader:

Fact or Fantasy?

The dictionary defines the word natural as "found in nature; without man-made changes; real, not artificial or

manufactured; innate, not acquired." To be a "natural" means you were born that way It is in the genes,

programmed by your DNA We readily observe the results of the genetic program in a "natural" redhead, in someone who is "naturally" slender, or in those whose skin is ''naturally" sensitive to sunlight

Does this same genetic predisposition apply to a leader? Are some people "naturally" born to lead?

I argue no No one is born a leader No one is genetically programmed or innately structured as a leader In my

book The Nine Natural Laws of Leadership, I explain that a leader is a person who gains willing followers 1Individuals in any situation and at any time throughout history were leaders because they attracted willing

followers No other description or definition clearly defines the essence of a leader Leaders gain followers when they provide a direction and utilize influence methods that attract others to willingly support them and their direction Leading, or the process of directing and influencing others to willingly follow, is based on a set

of skills

I propose that some people are labeled natural born leaders because they effortlessly, spontaneously,

consistently, and frequently demonstrate the specific skills that cause others to willingly follow.

Leading is not an innate function of the leader alone or independent of the followers To be a leader is

contingent on the follower's assessment of the leader, the follower's interpretation of the leader's direction, and the interaction between the leader and follower Followers are the leader's allies whose support, in effect,

"makes" the leader If no one follows, there is no leader

Consider the space shuttle Challenger disaster Engineers at lower levels of NASA felt the O-rings, a specific

type of seal on the craft, could fail and render the shuttle unsafe They tried to convince NASA senior

management that the launch should be postponed Senior management did not agree Tragically, the engineers proved to be correct Think of what happened here very carefully These engineers had the right idea and were pointing in the right direction Yet they did not have the authority to make the final decision And they could not gain the support (that is, influence) senior management to delay the launch Without followers, a person with an idea, plan, strategy, or vision, even if it is correct, is simply someone trying to provide a direction Leadership occurs when others willingly follow that direction

The natural born leader label is an attribution made to those who master the skill set related to gaining willing followers No one is born with these skills The natural born leader label actually describes exceptional or master leaders, those who effortlessly, spontaneously, consistently, and frequently demonstrate the skill set.Some people are, of course, born with abilities that enable them to master leadership skills more effectively In

Living with Our Genes, Dean Hamer and Peter Copeland explain how behavioral aptitudes, personality

preferences, and individual temperaments are programmed into our genes 2Such genetic capacities affect our aptitudes Consider the child who brilliantly plays the piano without any training Picture the athlete who rarely practices yet glides across the playing field with total grace Think of those who almost automatically have a knack for the language, concepts, and practices of engineering, medicine, the law, or some other complex discipline Such individuals have an innate ability that allows them to perform and excel naturally in their field.Yet, unlike innate physical features, such as blue eyes or large hands, an innate behavioral aptitude,

temperament, or preference does not guarantee the behavior will be actualized People need opportunity, encouragement, and training The goddess Athena was birthed from Zeus's head as a full-grown woman

warrior Humans are not born fully formed as a pianist, athlete, engineer, or leader Some may have an

inherited ability to more easily learn a second language For example, some people may have the capacity to learn more than one language Only those given a chance can become bilingual Skill learning and skill

development are necessary Like a musical instrument, genes do not determine what music is played Genes simply define the range of what can possibly be played

True greatness, or skill mastery, requires skill practice The superlative golfer, Tiger Woods, obviously has innate talent for the sport However, his dad put a golf club in his hands at the age of three Woods works tirelessly to hone his golfing skills Imagine where Tiger Woods might be today if his father did not

encourage him to play golf or had actually forbidden him to ever play any sports

You Can't Do Anything about Your Genes

Some people seem to be born with a "leg up" in this world They passed through the gene pool dispensary and got the prized DNA associated with greater likelihood of performance effectiveness Yet your inborn capacities

do not make a difference anymore Because you are reading this book at this moment in time, you have already been through the gene dispensary Your innate ability was programmed a long time ago Whatever you

naturally got at birth has already placed you somewhere on the innate-capacities continuum The ready-made, from-the-factory set of preferences programmed into your individual DNA master source code cannot be changed

You got what you got Until science develops a do-it-yourself, home-use, gene-splicing kit, the innate, natural characteristics and temperament you have cannot be altered

What you were born with only outlines the possibility, the potential to perform And while it may set

boundaries, you also have the natural ability to respond to opportunities that nurture your potential so you can achieve greater results You may not become anything you want to be, but it is possible to be all that you are

Everyone Has a Natural Born Capacity to Lead

To put it very plainly, then, no one is born a leader However, everyone has a natural born capacity to lead because it is natural for people to respond to nurture People have an innate ability to learn and grow Anyone can be a leader because anyone can attract others to willingly follow All people can enhance their ability by learning the skills of the best and most exceptional leaders As your skill level grows, evolves, and blossoms, you can gain more followers more effortlessly, spontaneously, consistently, and frequently More and more people will attribute natural born leader status to you

You were born as someone Becoming a leader is a choice What you know can always change What you are, based on predetermined innate limits, may not You can develop as a leader by acquiring knowledge of the skills and an understanding of your capabilities, and by making the choice to change You can mold your abilities by skill learning, practice, and feedback You can make a conscious and intentional choice to upgrade yourself so you more closely resemble the portrait we attribute to natural born leaders and you become a more effective leader

The Portrait of a Natural Born Leader

One hundred and eight skills paint the portrait of a natural born leader The skills are not flavors of the month They are the facts of the leader's life They describe the actionable propositions that define the leader process

No single person completely mirrors every brushstroke in the picture People match the portrait in varying degrees and demonstrate some skills more effectively than others

Look at a few of the corporate chieftains in Fortune magazine's "America's Most Admired Companies" list

"Combative" describes General Electric's CEO Jack Welch "Prankster and unabashedly affectionate" pertains

to Southwest Airlines head Herb Kelleher ''Scathing" describes Microsoft boss Bill Gates Each of these company captains has totally committed followers who ardently support them Yet each demonstrates different skill mastery and in different ways 3

Some fit the natural born leader profile based on mastery of skills important in specific circumstances and with certain followers For example, when rapport matters, those who can build trust more easily achieve

exceptional leader status If change, chaos, and uncertainty characterize the competitive environment, those who take decisive action more effortlessly emerge as exemplary leaders When a motivating environment creates greater success, those who skillfully foster more open

communication and participative decision making are perceived to be natural born leaders.

Everybody already has developed skills in some areas because everyone has gained willing followers in some situations To expand your abilities and your effectiveness as a leader you must know the 108 skills To operate

in a wider circle of influence you must assess current skill competence To attain the natural born leader label even more fully you must constantly practice towards mastery

The 108 skills of natural born leaders are grouped into three categories Each category is made up of three sets

of skills

The Skills of Natural Born Leaders

Build rapport Clarify expectations Leadership direction skills Map the territory to identify the need to lead

Chart a course of leadership action Develop others as leaders

Leadership influence skills Build the base to gain commitment

Influence others to willingly follow Create a motivating environment

Foundational Skills

The foundational skills are prerequisites for all other skills Mastery of the foundational skills provides the necessary firm footing to have more impact, be more effective, and achieve greater leader success Vince Lombardi once said that success comes from those who are "brilliant at the basics." For master leaders, the basics are self-awareness, a capacity to build rapport, and an ability to clarify expectations

Leadership Direction Skills

Leaders provide direction through uncertainty Leaders lead when people do not know what to do People do not need to be led when they can detect obstacles and they know how to overcome them Leaders must emerge when problems blind-side people and when people cannot resolve the problems they face People do not need

to be led when they recognize an opportunity and are able to exploit it Leaders step up in response to

opportunities others miss and when people do not know how to take advantage of possibilities

People need direction when the organizational structure cannot or does not provide it No organization can create a perfect bureaucracy Established organizational systems may not offer useful guidance in the face of dramatic change Existing policies and procedures may create rather than resolve difficulties Unforeseen obstacles and opportunities always arise no matter how good "the corporate plan" or how well thought out the

Leadership Influence Skills

Expert leaders have to influence people to willingly follow Willingness is the operative word Recall the scene

in Steven Spielberg's film Saving Private Ryan Captain Miller, played by Tom Hanks, is assigned a group of

men to find Private Ryan and bring him home As they search for Ryan, the platoon encounters an enemy machine gun nest They successfully take it out, but one of their men is killed The GIs want to murder a captured German soldier out of revenge Captain Miller directs his men to let the captured German go One disgruntled soldier, Private Reiben, rebels in frustration over Miller's decision

Reiben declares, "I'm through with this mission," and begins to walk away The platoon sergeant confronts Reiben, and threatens to shoot him if he doesn't "get in line." All the soldiers start shouting as the tension mounts to a breaking point as no solution seems apparent Captain Miller finally speaks "What's the pool up to

on me?" he asks Silence engulfs the group The soldiers had created a betting pool regarding Miller's

profession before joining the Army Miller tells the men that he is a schoolteacher He explains how that fact did not seem important in the battle zone He goes on to clarify his feelings about being a soldier, about

fighting for his own life and his desire to protect his men Miller then tells Reiben he can leave Miller clarifies that he will fulfill his mission to find Private Ryan so that he can get home to his wife Miller walks off, alone,

to bury the men killed during the battle Without a word, the entire platoon, including Reiben, joins him

Miller could have ordered Reiben to "fall in line" and "do what I say because I am in charge." He could have told the sergeant to execute the soldier for desertion Miller focused on gaining willing support

Exceptional leaders gain commitment rather than rely on command and compliance They create a desire in followers rather than demand that subordinates fulfill requirements They inspire rather than require Those who offer a direction, at whatever level, become leaders when others willingly follow

Nirmala Palsamy is a practicing nurse who heads the Village Health Nurse Association in the Indian state of

Tamil Nadu Her story, reported by Meenakshi Ganguly in Time magazine, illustrates how until others follow,

no leadership occurs Palsamy, and nurses like her, offer contraceptive information and suggestions as they scoot around on mopeds to visit their patients Concerns about population growth caused the Indian

government to pass mandates regarding enforced sterilization Nurses were offered financial incentives to encourage the policy For years, Palsamy was opposed to birth quotas in her state She got little support and was even told by her superiors that she would be "suspended" if she openly challenged the policy Finally, in

1992, her message got through to the new head of

the Tamil Nadu family-welfare program, S Ramasundaram Palsamy convinced Ramasundaram that control targets caused distrust in mothers toward nurses, which resulted in resistance to state policy Population growth dramatically decreased in the area after Ramasundaram followed Palsamy's advice of no government interference 4

birth-Palsamy's story demonstrates the challenge that master leaders face: No one has to willingly follow another.Master leaders build a base that creates the conditions necessary to gain follower commitment They influence others to embrace a particular course of action They also know how the overall context affects their efforts to gain followers They create a motivating environment that reinforces and energizes follower commitment

Tell Me Something I Don't Know

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

—John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach

You will probably recognize many of the skills as you read through this book I would be surprised if you did not know many of them! The skills describe what master leaders do, how they think, and what they are Sir Isaac Newton didn't invent gravity He identified and explained it The 108 skills identify and explain why we attribute to such people natural born leader status The skills do not prescribe what leaders should be The skills bring to light the defining characteristics of the master leader portrait rather than attempt to create a new

picture

Knowing is not doing Everybody knows it is important to listen Few demonstrate good listening skills Many can drive a car Few can maneuver a Formula One race car at 200 miles per hour around the track in the

Indianapolis 500 To gain natural born leader status, a person must know what to do and do it and ultimately

perform in an effortless, spontaneous manner Being a natural born leader requires frequent and consistent application of these skills during the difficult times that demand

leadership action Apathy, arrogance, and self-deception kill leadership potential

Chapter 2 offers a way to gauge your ability to translate knowing into doing The chapter contains a

self-assessment to give you a glimpse into the mirror that compares your picture with the portrait of a natural born leader Subsequent chapters provide a description of the natural born leader skills and action choices on how to perform those skills

Unset Your Mind and Maximize Your Natural Born Leadership Skills

We must unset our mind about the romantic notion that only some people are natural born leaders More and better leaders are needed at every organizational level Global leaders direct with a wide-angle lens of

awareness They direct entire organizations or a network of organizations Global leaders have as their horizon the larger-scale endeavors that affect great numbers of people for long time periods Such people typically get the unique "natural born leader" label

However, the focus on the few who operate at the global level and the belief that only some of us are born leaders actually limits leadership in organizations Most leadership really occurs at the local level Local

leaders recognize a need and take action during the day-to-day work demands and within bounded time frames They influence others to follow in small groups and in one-on-one interactions Organizations succeed when many leaders take the fight into the trenches, use tactical maneuvers, and provide specific action steps that point toward specific gains

The romantic notion that only some people are natural born leaders disempowers people at every level It disheartens those who are trying to grow and develop their natural talents to lead It also gives people an excuse not to try to lead or develop their skills If only some are "born to lead," then you can shrug and simply say, "I can't be a leader." This hamstrings the person, the group, the organization, and the society as a whole

Are Managers Leaders?

The 108 skills describe leaders, not managers Managers perform tasks similar to leaders, but being a manager

does not make someone a leader In The Nine Natural Laws of Leadership, I compare the leader and manager

roles and describe the key distinctions between leaders and managers

I explain that managers are given their role within the organization They are expected to direct subordinates to

fulfill their job requirements and accomplish their assigned responsibilities Managers ensure subordinates comply with established procedures, rules, policies, and regulations Manager action is based on defined

responsibility, established authority, and required accountability Managers are expected to get things done "by the book." Managers work through challenges to achieve established outcomes and are expected to carry out the job as long as they have it

Being a good manager is tough Good managers must hold their subordinates accountable to accomplish their prescribed duties and motivate them to complete assigned tasks Managers know how difficult it is to keep subordinates focused on job priorities and complete requirements on deadline All good managers deserve credit for meeting the challenges inherent in getting things done through their employees

In contrast, leaders take their role They direct followers when established procedures do not work, when there

are no procedures, and when uncharted opportunities arise Leaders live in a world of uncertainty, guiding others to follow when others don't know what to do Leaders direct followers to take advantage of opportunities and overcome obstacles that occur outside the prescribed tasks and duties of job requirements Good managers frequently and willingly step into the uncertain arena of leadership action because they perceive the need to lead They know that "the book" can never cover all contingencies, so they take the risk of initiative to provide leadership direction

Leading is a different kind of challenge For leaders, the

difficulty lies in the reality that they cannot fall back on the "by the book" standard for their direction Leaders must chart a course through untested terrain Thus, leaders live in a madhouse of change And because they must attract followers, they must rely on a different source of influence The differences can be stated simply as follows:

Manager Influence versus Leader Influence

Influence derives from formal authority Influence derives from the interaction

between the leader and followers Rely on the line relationships, which is

defined by the organizational hierarchy. Rely on a relationship of rapport, trust, and recognized credibility.

Influence is based on position (superior) to

position (subordinate) power. Influence is based on person-to-person power.

Influence comes from control and can involve

force Influence transcends control and derives from the quality of interaction.

Can only use their authority "down" the

organizational ladder to direct subordinates. Can exert influence in any direction: up,across, down, and outside the

organizational hierarchy

Leaders rely on reciprocal influence in which they are willing to listen, understand, and be responsive to

followers Leader influence requires a coactive exchange in which leaders can meet followers at their level and take them in the direction the

leader wants to go Good managers use their authority with fairness and are willing to accept the responsibility

of being in charge and hold others accountable Good managers become leaders when they seek first to gain commitment

Managers can rely on "unity of command," the principle that one person, based on place in the hierarchy, has to

be in charge Multiple leaders can and do emerge at every organizational level when they gain willing

followers Good managers use their hierarchical position when necessary Good managers do not rigidly

require always being "in charge." Good managers contribute to leadership by willingly following others who offer leader direction

Taking a manager position involves accepting the risk of not meeting organizational requirements Managers accept the risk of not being able to juggle the multiple, competing demands created by directing diverse

subordinates, serving one's boss, and completing specific manager tasks Leaders take the risk of not gaining followers or not leading them to success

Managers face organizational limits such as inadequate resource allocation from their boss and systemic

constraints such as restrictive policies and procedures Good managers may not be assigned or able to hire the kind of employees who really want to work or have the skills to accomplish their assigned tasks Managers may not get compliance from their subordinates but have the right to demand it They can use organizational procedures to enforce obedience However, an obstinate subordinate who knows how to "work the system" can make life miserable for a manager who tries to hold the person accountable Leaders must attract followers

Leaders face the limit that no one has to willingly follow another.

Management originates from externally derived sources: organizational standards and procedures Managers can justify their actions based on "the manual" or policies Leadership originates in consciousness, or how the leader processes information Leaders rely on their state of awareness—their internal, subjective reality about what they feel matters and requires attention

Developing Your Skills as a Natural Born Leader

The people we label as natural born leaders have mastered the 108 identifiable skills that define the portrait Some mix of nature and nurture defines where you are now How much is nature and how much is nurture is a matter of speculative debate As of right now, you can understand, practice, and master the skills That fact does not come from speculation

To train athletes we make them run To train leaders we must help people learn how leading really works It involves using the natural ability we all have to learn and grow and improve as well as tapping into deeper levels You will improve as you find the connections between yourself and these skills You will be more effective as you understand where you are now and you embrace and commit to develop your skills

The journey toward natural born leader status begins by seeking percentage improvement Focus on making a degree of change each day in the direction of mastery of all 108 skills The scale to which you enhance your ability to implement these skills is up to you It takes some courage to sincerely attempt to transform one's self You must be willing to admit the need for improvement You must put in the time and effort to make changes You have to accept that you may not get as far as you care to in a certain time period on a particular skill Real courage is not about overcoming the fear of failure Real courage exists in accepting the possibility of not succeeding and taking action anyway Nonleaders succumb Exceptional leaders overcome

True leadership mastery comes from true change in yourself Some people create the impression of change A natural born redhead can dye his hair Someone with naturally blue eyes can wear contacts so her eyes look brown Cosmetic changes may improve one's appearance We also know those changes are not real You have natural born leader ability because you were born with the ability to make real improvements

One Skill Away from Excellence

Imagine a mountain climber who is one step away from the summit Picture a writer who is one chapter away from finishing a brilliant story Consider a musician who is one refrain away from playing a brilliant song What would you say to these people if they wanted to stop? Let me encourage you to work toward that next skill that could help you reach the summit in terms of leadership effectiveness

Your skills will improve in a sequential process As you become more proficient at the foundational skills, such

as rapport building, you will be more successful applying the direction skills, such as developing others as leaders Skills in these two areas will help you with your influence skills, such as creating a more motivating environment In a step-by-step fashion, progress at each level helps you more smoothly incorporate subsequent skills Your skills will also improve in a simultaneous fashion For example, by developing your mapping skills, you will simultaneously develop skills related to charting a course and building a base of commitment.This paradoxical nature of leadership skill development, which is both sequential and simultaneous, is partly why many leadership training efforts fail They try to force development into a lockstep method They fail to allow the learner to take ownership for progress by jumping to areas that are simultaneously being stimulated

Begin Where You Are

The only way to predict the future is to have the power to shape the future You have the power to endlessly

shape and reshape yourself Basketball coach Pat Riley stated in his book The Winner Within, ''Excellence is

the gradual result of always wanting to do better." 5 Your current skill set and competency format represent a pattern of experience and preference What makes it useful to you today? Do you need to upgrade? Can you succeed in the future with your current skill set? What limiting

factors can you transcend more easily? Which will require significant effort? Follow your interests and focus

on what you can improve If you try to do what you cannot do you will fail

Are You Worthy of the Natural Born Leader Label?

Any of the 108 skills can be mastered with the intent to manipulate Some people perform the skills only to pander to potential followers Those we perceive as the best natural born leaders direct others based on life-supporting values Followers support those they believe represent their values The values you choose are determined by you Author and athlete Mariah Burton Nelson has said, "If people look up to you, you need to become the kind of person worth looking up to."

Endnotes

1 Warren Blank, The Nine Natural Laws of Leadership (New York: AMACOM, 1995).

2 Dean Hamer and Peter Copeland, Living with Our Genes (New York: Doubleday Books, 1998).

3 Geoffrey Colvin, "America's Most Admired Companies," Fortune (February 21, 2000), pp 108–112.

4 Meenakshi Ganguly, "Speaking Her Mind," Time Special Environmental Issue (April–May 2000), p 47.

5 Pat Riley, The Winner Within (New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 1994), p 182.

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Self-Assessment:

The 108 Skills of Natural Born Leaders

This assessment measures how well you apply the 108 skills of natural born leaders now The assessment is a guide to enhance your leadership effectiveness Your scores clarify the specific skills that define your success They also identify those skills that need improvement to help you become a more powerful leader The

assessment is not a test that has right or wrong answers View it as a checkup that helps you determine your current status

Respond to each statement in terms of how others would rate you This is important because, as emphasized in

Chapter 1, the natural born leader label is an attribution given to leaders from their followers You need to consider how others would rate you because they represent potential followers The follower's evaluation defines your natural born leader status

Respond to the statements in terms of your general pattern of action Think of how you typically behave in most situations Avoid thinking about unique situations when you answer the statements

Complete the entire assessment and then score yourself The assessment consists of nine sets of statements; each set of

statements correlates to one of the foundational, leadership direction, and influence skills of natural born leaders introduced in Chapter 1 The scoring key provides a scale to determine which skills you need to

1 = Very strongly disagree

2 = Strongly disagree

3 = Disagree

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly agree

6 = Very strongly agree

Set One: Self-Awareness

1 Always approaches work with intensity and focus

2 Does not get worn out or rattled even when demands are high

3 Uses time effectively, especially in the face of multiple, competing demands

4 Learns from all experience

5 Seeks feedback from all sources on a regular basis

6 Has a strong, positive sense of self; knows and understands him/herself

Set Two: Capacity to Develop Rapport with People

7 Easily finds a common ground that creates a bond with others

8 Demonstrates sincere empathy toward everyone

9 Makes him/herself available and interacts with others in an easy, open manner

10 Expresses appreciation on a regular basis for others' actions and accomplishments

11 Demonstrates rock-solid character, ethics, and principles in all circumstances

12 Creates an atmosphere of trust at all times

Set Three: Ability to Clarify Expectations

13 Establishes clear and agreed-on expectations with others in all situations

14 Always clarifies when people's expectations limit or restrict their thinking and action

15 Explains the organization's expectations whenever people need clarification

16 Relies on facts versus assumptions or inferences to clarify expectations

17 Identifies any and all rumors, clarifies their validity, or finds out if they are true

18 Displays a high level of optimism in all circumstances

Set Four: Ability to Map the Territory to Identify the Need to Lead

19 Analyzes all situations from alternate perspectives to identify issues and concerns

20 Speaks with many different people to recognize issues and concerns that need attention

21 Focuses on both the long and short term, global and local issues

22 Constantly monitors the impact of change

23 Displays refined business acumen in every situation

24 Learns quickly in every situation

Set Five: Ability to Chart a Course of Leadership Action

25 Takes the most important action first to resolve a problem or exploit an opportunity

26 Considers multiple courses of action whenever possible

27 Charts action courses that focus on customers first

28 Offers direction that is doable and makes a difference in all circumstances

29 Demonstrates good citizenship with every leadership decision

30 Always takes decisive action and knows when to abandon a course of action

Set Six: Ability to Develop Others as Leaders

31 Attracts people who have raw talent and who want to develop their skills

32 Coaches and trains all aspects to enhance people's leadership potential

33 Continuously appraises people's skills in all facets of their performance

34 Allows others freedom to identify and resolve issues on their own whenever possible

35 Uses diversity as a strength in all situations

36 Works with individuals at their own pace to develop their leadership skills

Set Seven: Ability to Build the Base to Gain Commitment

37 Builds credibility with every action

38 Takes on tasks and positions that increase the capacity to influence others

39 Shares power with key followers whenever necessary

40 Conspicuously supports and defends key followers whenever necessary

41 Models commitment to effective action and positive results in all circumstances

42 Forms alliances with key followers to enhance the capacity to influence others

Set Eight: Ability to Influence Others to Willingly Follow

43 Always demonstrates how others will benefit if they follow a course of action

44 Communicates all directions with a consistent, precise, and compelling message

45 Always communicates in ways that followers understand and find acceptable

46 Works through any resistance so others accept a course of action

47 Accepts that some people will not follow and continuously works to gain willing followers

48 Uses established relationships to influence others throughout the organization

Set Nine: Ability to Create a Motivating Environment

49 Molds an organizational culture that is strong, adaptive, and vision driven

50 Always creates clear performance standards to increase motivation toward success

51 Clarifies each person's role and encourages everyone to take a leadership role

52 Fosters open communication, allows decision participation, and provides feedback in all interactions with others

53 Resolves conflicts in a mutually satisfactory manner whenever possible

54 Uses the full range of incentives to motivate others

Scoring Key

Add up your scores for each set of skills and record them in the space provided here

Set One Expand Self-Awareness

Set Two Build Rapport

Set Three Clarify Expectations

Set Four Map the Territory to Identify the

Need to Lead

Set Five Chart a Course of Leadership

Action

Set Six Develop Others as Leaders

Set Seven Build the Base to Gain

Commitment

Set Eight Influence Others to Willingly

Set Nine Create a Motivating

Some improvement needed 21–24

Substantial improvement needed 20 or below

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Your Action Approach

Continue your exceptional work in any skill area where you scored an "excellent" in the self-assessment Skim through the chapters dealing with those skills Pick out one or two skills that you feel may need some fine-tuning Try out a few of the suggestions offered to enhance these skills

Consider ways to sharpen your skills in the areas where you scored "very good" or "good." Review those chapters to find the specific skills that you feel deserve more attention Select several of the choices to develop those skills and work on them whenever possible

Take action to improve in any skill area where you scored "some improvement needed." Read those chapters carefully Evaluate which skills demand the most attention right away Systematically work to improve each skill as soon as possible by applying several of the suggestions offered

headquarters Find a way to take an assignment at headquarters for even a short time period Or accept the constraints on developing this particular skill and work to offset it with increased effectiveness on another skill For example, you might work on building your credibility with those at your location who can serve as links to key allies in headquarters.

Remember that the journey begins with percentage improvements Make some degree of change each day

I—

FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS

restricted consciousness or information processing.

Dee Hock, founder and CEO emeritus of Visa International, explains that those who seek to lead spend 50 percent of their time leading themselves In other words, they know their strengths, weaknesses, and

assumptions They understand their motives and recognize what deserves attention They realize they have a range of choices and know when and why they should take action They know their tendencies and how they take expression in their life

Self-awareness is totally internal Only you can access your inner awareness More important, each of us can access our internal state and enhance our self-awareness We have the power to turn our attention inward and know our "inner self" more fully

Exceptional leaders look within first to enrich, enlighten, and expand themselves They know they cannot really control anyone else They use self-awareness to control themselves and ultimately have greater influence upon others

People are less likely to follow those who have significant

blind spots Potential followers balk at those who behave with arrogant conceit With more self-awareness, we are more self-responsible That is, we are more "able to respond." With greater self-awareness, we are more self-accountable That is, we can be "counted on" by others

Self-awareness propels leaders forward with the adaptability necessary to listen and learn and the versatility and eagerness to try new things The more self-aware a leader, the greater possibility exists for successful use

of time, focus of attention, and performance of action Even the most powerful person experiences the

discomfort created by a lack of awareness Think about sitting at a keyboard frustrated because you don't know why the system crashed We can only overcome computer illiteracy, or any lack of literacy, with a clear

cognizance of the discomfort it causes and a heightened sense of what action can overcome the problem

Jesse Jackson once said, "As I develop and serve, be patient God is not finished with me yet." Each of us has more capacity than we have used We have greater promise than we have achieved We have untapped

potential that we can draw upon by continually increasing awareness of who we are, what we want, and what

we desire to become Self-awareness helps you capitalize on your personal assets, overcome your personal liabilities, and continually stay fresh, vital, and awake

The quality of direction that leaders provide originates in their internal self-reference points, their assumptions, values, and beliefs Leaders can lead or mislead, be expansive or restrictive, inclusive or exclusive, just or unjust Dag Hammarskjo&uml; ld, former United Nations secretary general, once said, "The more faithfully you listen to the voice within you, the better you will hear what is sounding outside And only those who listen can speak." Self-awareness depends on listening to our inner voice

Self-awareness skills also provide the ability to more effectively handle the stress and strain of leadership Followers are attracted to those who remain cool under fire, calm in the face of crisis, and collected when chaos reigns That capacity comes with greater self-awareness The natural born leader label goes

to those with the skills to know who they are and the capacity to know how to cope with the challenges of leading.

Mastery of the skills in this section will enable you to:

• Understand your intentions, inner motivation, and preferences

• Respond to stress and use time more effectively

• Create more balance in your life

• Continuously learn to improve your leadership capacity

• Use both your rational and intuitive capacities

• Operate with a broader perspective regarding your role as a leader

1—

Get Quiet and Listen

Who is doing the leading? What intentions lie behind the direction that leaders offer and the methods they use

to influence? What factors guide the leader's focus of attention and judgement? The answers to these questions

define the first and most important skill mastered by those we label as our best natural born leader models.

Leadership ultimately begins as an inside job The leader's course of action and methods of influencing other people reflect the "leader within," the internal reference points that define the leader's inner self In the final analysis, the kind of leadership you create comes from who you are at your deepest core Only you have access

to that place and complete control over that place

The best leaders get quiet and listen to clarify their inner reference points They continuously examine their beliefs, values, and assumptions They analyze the decision rules they use to assign meaning to life They carefully consider why they commit their energy to particular actions Exceptional leaders turn within to figure out the fundamental forces that form the basis of who they are

The best leaders know the differences between the small self and the big self To illustrate this subtle but important dis-